austraLasia 1330
Salesian Mission Sunday (DOMISAL) a big event in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY: 16th November 2005 -- It might be called 'Sunday' officially, but in Vietnam they celebrate it on Saturday, at least this year, and not just once but twice, for reasons of geography. We are midway between the celebration on 12th in HCM and the one to come in Dalat on 19th November, 300 kms away. Altogether some 700 members of the Salesian Family are involved: all those in initial formation, which includes 20 aspirants, 36 prenovices, 26 novices, 72 postnovices, 22 students of theology; then there's the Sisters (FMA) - 30 of them with 25 novices, to which we add VDB, CSM, ASC, Past Pupils SDB and FMA. Another group this year are parish councillors from 25 different Salesian parishes around the country.
And what do they all do? This year, with the 100th anniversary (birthday) of the 'patriarch' of Salesian Vietnam, Fr Andrej Majcen, which a number of confreres from Vietnam attended in Slovenia recently, there was a natural focus on him and on the early history of the Province, provided through power point presentation and a conference from the present provincial Fr Them on Fr Majcen's spirituality. There is a strong move to introduce the cause for canonisation of this extraordinary Salesian missionary, and Vietnam will play its part in documenting the period from 1952-76, the quarter of a century he spent in Vietnam before being the last missionary to be expelled by the Government in 1975. He survived so long because he came from a communist country, at that time Yugoslavia.
Younger members of the Salesian Family in Vietnam have prepared an Academy of song and dance, everything from St Paul to PNG! But those who have seen it proclaim it to be excellent, and a deep meditation on the missionary thrust of today's Vietnamese Church, and the Congregation in particular.
Then, at a Eucharist (HCM Fr Them; Dalat, Bishop Paul) a missionary send-off celebration to remind all those present of the gift of so many from the Salesian Family already. IT is no wonder that another group of young members of the Salesian Family are finalising their letters of request for mission 'ad gentes'. The Salesian Family is just as conscious of its 'home' mission as well. Despite the large number of Catholics in Vietnam, they are still only 8% of the population amongst those who claim to be Buddhist, Animist, or atheist! Vietnam is the 5th largest Catholic population in Asia, however, after Philippines, India, China, Indonesia.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
Salesian Mission Sunday (DOMISAL) a big event in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY: 16th November 2005 -- It might be called 'Sunday' officially, but in Vietnam they celebrate it on Saturday, at least this year, and not just once but twice, for reasons of geography. We are midway between the celebration on 12th in HCM and the one to come in Dalat on 19th November, 300 kms away. Altogether some 700 members of the Salesian Family are involved: all those in initial formation, which includes 20 aspirants, 36 prenovices, 26 novices, 72 postnovices, 22 students of theology; then there's the Sisters (FMA) - 30 of them with 25 novices, to which we add VDB, CSM, ASC, Past Pupils SDB and FMA. Another group this year are parish councillors from 25 different Salesian parishes around the country.
And what do they all do? This year, with the 100th anniversary (birthday) of the 'patriarch' of Salesian Vietnam, Fr Andrej Majcen, which a number of confreres from Vietnam attended in Slovenia recently, there was a natural focus on him and on the early history of the Province, provided through power point presentation and a conference from the present provincial Fr Them on Fr Majcen's spirituality. There is a strong move to introduce the cause for canonisation of this extraordinary Salesian missionary, and Vietnam will play its part in documenting the period from 1952-76, the quarter of a century he spent in Vietnam before being the last missionary to be expelled by the Government in 1975. He survived so long because he came from a communist country, at that time Yugoslavia.
Younger members of the Salesian Family in Vietnam have prepared an Academy of song and dance, everything from St Paul to PNG! But those who have seen it proclaim it to be excellent, and a deep meditation on the missionary thrust of today's Vietnamese Church, and the Congregation in particular.
Then, at a Eucharist (HCM Fr Them; Dalat, Bishop Paul) a missionary send-off celebration to remind all those present of the gift of so many from the Salesian Family already. IT is no wonder that another group of young members of the Salesian Family are finalising their letters of request for mission 'ad gentes'. The Salesian Family is just as conscious of its 'home' mission as well. Despite the large number of Catholics in Vietnam, they are still only 8% of the population amongst those who claim to be Buddhist, Animist, or atheist! Vietnam is the 5th largest Catholic population in Asia, however, after Philippines, India, China, Indonesia.
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml. If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list. RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat. Think about it!
